Government launches new BIM plan

The Government has unveiled a brand new plan that it hopes will see the UK become a “global leader” in building information modelling (BIM).

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has published the strategy, which includes proposals for it to work in tandem with UK Trade and Investment to capitalise on a “limited window of opportunity” and export BIM expertise abroad.

BIM involves the design of a building or structure using just one coherent system of computer models and the Cabinet Office had already announced a plan and timetable to use it in all public sector construction projects by 2016.

However, the new 12-point plan features an accelerated roll-out of BIM-compatible government tenders and a new pilot programme to assess BIM data from across the entire public sector.

And the Government aims to work more closely with building product manufacturers and offsite construction companies to develop BIM and look into the benefits it can have in terms of assets in operation.